Pretty On The Outside
by Loony-1995
Summary: An alternative to the book on why Ron and Lavender broke up, how they did and what happened after. Because when is love or life ever simple or easy? Ron/Lavender/Hermione. Song fic: Pretty On The Outside - Bullet For My Valentine


Just a little fic on the Ron/Lavender/Hermione relationship in the sixth book (Half Blood Prince); the point of view will change over the course of the story; Ron's point of view will be **bold**; Lavender's just normal; and Hermione's will say "Hermione" before. Enjoyyy :)  
Lyrics in _italics. _Song-fic to Pretty on the Outside by Bullet for My Valentine.

* * *

_Whoa, whoa, whoa_

_So you wanna play games with my head?  
But you, make me fall apart, I wish that I was dead  
I just can't believe I fell, for such a blackened heart  
You played me for a fool, and used me from the start_

Hermione  
Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, trying not to break down into tears; Ron and Lavender were together. Constantly snogging. Constantly in front of her. Constantly teasing her. Constantly hurting her. Ron just played with her, led her on then just left her in the gutter, only ever coming back to ask for homework or class notes. And she was stupid and _always _gave them to him, why did she? Why wouldn't she just say 'no'? But she knew why; if she gave, he would keep on coming back, he'd have to spend time with her copying the homework or notes; he couldn't do it without her. And selfishly, she loved that dependence that he had on her. However, Lavender Brown, the blonde bombshell, had come into the potion, messing everything up for her; now he didn't ask her for her homework, he'd get it off someone else and even more unbelievably he'd actually do it himself!

As her heart began to resent Ron, the head joined it; she now saw that Ron had only ever used her, he didn't like her, he just pretend because Harry was her friend and he couldn't be bothered to work and who would let him always copy? Hermione Granger.

How could she have fallen for someone who was so selfish and callous? That user.

_Fuck it all (fuck you), I just want to know the truth,  
but the words from your mouth they just cloud,  
All the negativity, forces me down into (silence)  
But still I can dream,  
I wanna know, I wanna know_

Lavender smiled as Ron put his arm around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his chest and just listened to his heart beat. Perfect. But a small part of her brain kept on telling her that this was wrong; that Ron didn't like her like she liked him. Lavender _loved_ Ron. She didn't know when it had started but she just knew. She had never felt this way about anyone. Yet, a part of her head told her to leave him; it strongly believed that she was being used. But her loved-up heart was having none of it; she was going to be with him for as long as she could. He was perfect. Ron knew how to respect a female; he was kind and caring but wasn't clingy; he didn't mind her talking to her exes or any male that could be seen as a threat, yet he had a sense of protectiveness about him and she knew that if she was in any sort of trouble, he'd be her superman, coming to rescue her. Also, he was very good-looking; she wondered how she had never seen it before.

She caught jealous Granger staring at them again, so she kissed him and he kissed back.

She heard a slam of a book and angry quick feet up to the female dorms. Lavender smiled wickedly.

'Love you,' she whispered to Ron. He smiled; it seemed real enough but still part of her brain screamed 'fake.'

'Love you too.' It sounded real and true but more than ever she began to listen to that small part of her head. She just wanted to know what he really felt, what he really thought of her, what he really thought of Granger.

_If I tear you open wide, take a look inside  
Are you pretty?  
Can I get inside your mind, see what I can find?  
Are you pretty?  
So just take off that disguise, everyone knows that you're only  
Pretty on the outside_

**Ron watched as Hermione left and his girlfriend told him she loved him. He said he loved her. Bloody hell! What a load of rubbish! Yeah, he liked her; Lavender had always been a friend of his and she was quite hot. But she had such a bitchy personality. Everyone knew Lavender Brown was a gossip but when you actually spent time with her, you realised how nasty and spiteful she is. Also, she was always 'blonde' in lessons and Ron had assumed that she was just putting it on, but when you actually spent time with her, you realised how stupid she is; Ron would bet everything he owned and his all of his family's lives – not his of course – that if you looked inside her head, you just find gossip, shoes, clothes and makeup, nothing of any actual use, maybe the gossip could come in handy; Lavender seemed like the type of person who would do **_**anything**_** to get what she wanted. **

_Now I fucking hate you, with all of my heart  
Just disappear, and never will I fear for my life  
I just want to be alone,  
And never, no never, will I be unhappy alone,  
I wanna know, I wanna know_

Hermione

She watched the couple over the week; it seemed they were getting closer and closer and closer. And apparently, Lavender would be going to the Burrow for some of the Christmas holidays to meet Ron's parents and then he would go to her house to meet her parents. Hermione did not like the sound of that at all. Maybe Molly wouldn't like Lavender; Hermione knew that Molly wanted her and Ron to get together and she had agreed. But now, she didn't want him, she had grown to hate him; she ignored him in lessons, gave him dirty looks whenever she could...her heart was broken and you can't put a broken heart back together was some tape and glue. She just wanted to die. This may have seemed a little extreme but she just couldn't take it and it showed. Hermione looked worse than ever; her homework was now the right size, not sheets and sheets of parchment like it had been before; instead of getting 100% in tests, she'd get 98%; and where normally her hand would always be shooting up, now she never answered any questions. Some people realised that Ron was the source of these changes but others just thought she was becoming more "normal". People even started to talk to her. But she just wanted to be alone. Forever. She never wanted to fall in love again; it hurt too much.

_If I tear you open wide, take a look inside  
Are you pretty?  
Can I get inside your mind, see what I can find?  
Are you pretty?  
So just take off that disguise, everyone knows that you're only  
Pretty on the outside_

Lavender watched in horror as Ron left her to go and speak to Hermione to "see if she was alright". No one left her. Who cares if she looked like dragon dung? It was an improvement. But, at first, it seemed that Hermione didn't want to talk to him and tried to push him away, but he carried on, and in the end she started to talk to him.

He hugged her. Tightly.

It wasn't a friendly hug, it was a lover hug.

How could he! Did he not think; was there anything in that big head of his? No.  
He had no heart; finally she was listening to that small part of her head which was now yelling confidently if not slightly crazily. Ron had just been hiding his true nature, now in her state of mind; Lavender wouldn't have been surprised if it turned out that Ron was a death eater. All that was good about him now was his looks. Those secretive eyes and that charming smirk. He had played her and now was she only starting to see what she thought was the truth.

_You're so pretty on the outside  
You're so pretty on the outside_

**Ron looked over to Lavender as Hermione laughed. She looked like she was going to cry, Ron wanted to leave Hermione but she hadn't laughed in days and now she was finally starting to be happy. Ron smiled at Lavender and instead of her usually cute, gorgeous, happy smile, she glared at him. If looks could kill, Ron would have been stabbed violently a billion times. Where had the beautiful Lavender gone; all Ron could see was a mad female burning with the thought of revenge.**

_So you wanna play, games with my head  
But you make me fall apart, and wish that I was dead  
Can't believe I fell for such a blackened heart  
You played me for a fool and just used me from the start_

Lavender has always been the type of person to make a scene. So she waited. She walked into the Great Hall at dinner when everyone was there, everyone could watch.

'RON!' She yelled, angry bubbling through her word. The two Patil twins glaring evilly at Ron as he walked towards them. And it seemed Ron didn't see the full importance of the situation, he strolled over looking calm, confident and cool. How dare he!

'Lav, what's up? Hey Padma, Pavarti,' Ron gave them his cheekiest smile and they forced themselves not to smile back; Lavender would bury them alive if they did.

'"WHAT'S UP?" THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN CHEATING ON ME WITH HERMIONE FUCKING GRANGER,' the whole hall gasped. Ron just laughed.

'What? Oh Lav, that is the funniest thing you have ever said.' He managed to say through his laughter; even the Patil twins smiled, until Lavender caught them.

'I'VE SEEN YOU TWO TOGETHER! YOU JUST PLAYED ME! AND NO ONE PLAYS LAVENDER BROWN AND GETS AWAY WITH IT. DO YOU KNOW, IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME IF YOU TURNED OUT TO BE A DEATH EATER,' Ron had been smiling, until she had said that last sentence.

'WHAT!'

'YOU HEARD ME. YOU'D MAKE A GREAT DEATH EATER. YOU ARE SO NASTY, SPITEFUL AND HAVE THE COLDEST, BLACKEST HEART OF ANYONE I HAVE EVER MEANT. YOU MAKE DRACO MALFOY LOOK LIKE AN INNOCENT ANGEL!' The hall gasped again, was Ron really that bad? Draco Malfoy sat their frozen, how could anyone be worse than him?

'BLOODY HELL! THAT IS OUT OF FUCKING ORDER! WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU!' Ron had a very fiery temper and right now Lavender was the main attraction for it; his chest pushed out and he stood up to his full height. But Lavender wasn't going to be beaten.

'CHEATED ON ME WITH THAT UGLY, NERDY THING!' She yelled up to him.

'HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT 'MIONE LIKE THAT?'

' "'MIONE" YOU'VE EVEN GIVEN HER OWN BLOODY NICKNAME!'

'YEAH, 'CAUSE SHE'S ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS!'

'I'm not.' Said Hermione sadly but loudly. 'He just uses me.'

_I just wanna know the truth (but the words from your mouth)  
All your negativity (you keep forcing me down)  
Into silence I can dream (into silence I can dream) Into silence I can dream_

Hermione

She had been watching and couldn't stand to keep silent anymore. And when he had called her his best friend, she couldn't stay quiet anymore.

'What!' Ron span round to look at her; the whole hall leant in; this was one of the most interesting dinners ever.

'You lie to me. Say I'm your friend, when I'm sure that you only talk to me so that you can copy my class notes and homework. I'm not stupid.'

''Mione...what?'

'You heard me.' She said, with tears in her eyes; she could only dream of being a true friend of his and being his girlfriend...impossible.

_If I tear you open wide, take a look inside  
Are you pretty?  
Can I get inside your mind, see what I can find?  
Are you pretty?  
So just take off that disguise, everyone knows that you're only  
Pretty on the outside_

**Ron stood there more shocked than Snape washing his hair. He stood in silence; the one person he always thought he could trust had just rejected him, in front of everyone. Maybe Hermione Granger was as nice as Lavender on the inside. How could she not see that he was her friend?**

**Ron knew he could try and persuade her that he was her friend or he could just play along with her.**

'**Bloody hell. Finally,' he smirked. 'No one likes you, it's about time you realised it.' She had hurt him badly; she deserved what she got.**

**A single tear flowed down Hermione's cheek.**

'**So now the real you comes out.' Hermione said to him, trying to stop her voice from breaking into a sob. 'For once, Lavender's right. You'd make a great death eater. You're ugly on the inside.'**

_Whoa, you're so pretty on the outside  
Whoa, (you're so pretty on the outside)  
You're so pretty on the outside!_

Ron, Hermione and Lavender were never the same again.

Hermione did return to her old self but there was always something missing; Ron. She never got over him. When she did smile, which was very rare, it never reached her brown eyes, they stayed cold and depressing.

Lavender did return to her gossip ways but everyone knew she hated Ron and always would. Until, she was saved by him from Greyback. But she hated Hermione more than anyone else in the world; if hadn't had got in the way of her and Ron, they could still be together.

But everyone agreed that Ron was the one most affected. It turned out Lavender was 100% correct on something for once in her life; Ron did make a great death eater.


End file.
